Archive for category Stress and Anxiety

To obtain what we want in life we must be persistent in the clear goals that we set. There isn’t a predetermined outcome there is only the effort, grit, and focus you put into your goal that achieves it. We may not believe we are capable of achieving certain skills and success but if we have grit, clarity, and right approach we can achieve whatever we set out mind to.

Don’t limit yourself

First things first you should work for yourself. You should accept that you are capable of a great deal and you can accomplish more than you may think. It takes time to recondition the mind and build this confidence. Confidence is a key factor to success in any walk of life. Seeing success in yourself will trounce stress and build self-confidence.

Self-discipline comes from practice

Self-discipline is like any muscle in the body, if you work it out it gets stronger. The ability to respect yourself and make moves to goals will require a strong self-discipline and an ability to build this trait. Anyone is capable of it and it should be a goal of yours. Emotional stress may hamper these ideas so be sure to use stress management strategies as you work towards this goal.

Watch what you think

Your thoughts will greatly affect your actions. Thinking to yourself “I don’t want failure” instead of “I want success” is surprisingly counter productive. Clinical studies have shown speaking about what you want and not what you don’t want will increase your goal completion by roughly three hundred percent. This is a massive statistic that should be integrated into our understanding of ourselves. When you are told what not to do you know you want to do it more! Tell yourself “I will do this at these times” and you will see additional success. Giving yourself a clear goal is vital to improving your success rate.

Build new patterns

Starting out is not always easy but when we get into rhythms and routines it becomes natural to complete these tasks. In theme with this site we are sure you want to set stress reducer goals. Be sure to be clear to yourself what these stress reducer goals are and with the aforementioned information begin to transform your emotional stress into peace.

Anxiety relief is something so many of us desire. There are those who have almost no stress and anxiety; that could be that they have practiced techniques or have a natural inclination towards peace. They probably also decided to put themselves in unfamiliar situations, which can be uncomfortable and scary. Getting into those situations makes it easier to be in them in the future. It takes willpower and speaking to yourself the right way. Anxiety relief is so often misunderstood and ignored. Getting anxiety relief comes in many forms; It can be helped by medication, mediation, therapy, and helping yourself with the right ideas/techniques.

Meditation for anxiety relief

Anxiety relief comes from control of the mind. Meditation gives us control of the mind and in addition it gives anxiety relief that we are feeling at the time we practice it. Mediation literally reshapes the mind and builds upon the prefrontal cortex. It can build a healthy body because the body follows the mind. The deep breathing oxygenation the body, reaching out to every cell of our being. This practice is often overlooked or completely ignored in western society. It has a dual-action on our anxiety and has countless other benefits.

Medication for anxiety relief

Anxiety relief can also come in the form of medication. Although we shouldn’t rely on this method it may be very helpful for getting past anxiety and forming new behaviors. There are many pharmaceuticals out there and finding the right one for you is important. Many of them have side affects, the most common being drowsiness. Talk to your doctor about this option if you are interested.

Take steps forward

Whether they are small or large we should be focused on moving towards a goal of gaining anxiety relief. Set small goals at first and when you accomplish them be sure to thank yourself. Honor yourself for your success. Self affirmations are always a good technique for gaining self-respect and building motivation to continue to strive towards goals.

Stress and anxiety sometimes go hand in hand. One can initiate the other and intensify the affects of each. Stress is a biological response to an external stimuli or event (dubbed a stressor). Anxiety is also a response to a stressor but it reacts in a different manner. It is a psychological and psychological response to that stress in a manner that affects us emotionally, behaviorally, and mentally. It also has a physical affect on our somatic nervous system and cardiovascular system. It can also come about without a stressor being presenting.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety often brings feelings of uneasiness, fear, and concern. The feelings of fear are different from fear in that they are triggered by anxiety whereas fear is typically a response to a perceived threat. When we are in a situation we feel that is uncontrollable or unavoidable we often get those feelings of stress and anxiety.

Anxiety is intended to help us

It is good to realize that anxiety is a mood which is being used to prepare ourselves to cope with negative events. So in essence it is a state that is there to help us. In excess it is a state that can really dampen our lives and hamper our personal growth in life. If it continues to be in excess it is a condition doctors refer to as an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder is a blanket term for both persistent or excessively reoccurring fear and anxiety. Some studies have shown 15-20% of Americans suffer from this disorder. This is a quite large amount of people but there is plenty of hope for defeating this self-defeating disorder.

Coping with stress and anxiety

Dealing with stress and anxiety takes time and effort. It can be a bit paradoxical when our stress and anxiety takes from us motivation and focus to work on these issues. However, much can be done for anxiety relief and if you are taking steps forward, big or small, you will always end at your goal. To do this we should work on any feelings of self-doubt and low self-confidence. Working on the self in individual sections will have affect on many other portions of yourself. It is an upward spiral in which improving one aspect improves other related or seemingly unrelated aspects (whether or not you connect the two). The first step is accepting the idea of change so we can get healthy levels of stress and anxiety. There are many articles here and around the internet to help you to get anxiety relief!

When we look at anxiety to examine its purpose and how we can avoid it we must consider many things. It is a physiological response our bodies produce to cope with upcoming for or current uncontrollable or unavoidable situation. It is a mood that is triggered by both external and internal conditions. Sometimes the feelings are masked and we are unsure how and why we are feeling a certain way. Lets take a look at relaxation techniques for anxiety.

Relaxation techniques for anxiety

There is a much overlap in stress relief and in the techniques for anxiety that can be used. Both are focused on realizing that it is far more often our choice of feeling the stress and anxiety or at least lowering the intensity. This takes much time and effort; it is a skill rooted in self-discipline. This should be used in combination with a skill called pivoting. Pivoting is change your current perspective to one of a much more constructive and peaceful one. It is changing the unpleasant and negative thought that arises in our mind into a different look on the thing in question. Instead of saying to yourself “why the heck did that guy cut me off, what a jerk!” say “that buy must be in a hurry”. Anger can bring us stress and anxiety so this should be another issue addressed. The skill of pivoting can be used in any situation, not just in anger.

Anxiety relief

To gain anxiety relief can be quit simple and can also be complex, depending on the skill being used. Having the ability to calm in the moment with deep breathing is another incredibly helpful stress and anxiety relief tool. Check out this link for deep breathing, this simple skill only need be remembered in the moment to have its great impact. Meditation is another of the dozens of great relaxation techniques for anxiety. It is a top tier tool that brings not only peace to the mind in the moment but in future situations it will help us make better choices. It changes the shape of our brain and builds the prefrontal cortex, a large area in the brain that separates our mind from that of an animal. Take a look at some more relaxation techniques for anxiety and take steps in the direction of peace and empowerment!

Anger is a corrosive emotion that feeds us self-destruction and fuels the fire of ignorance. It will destroy relationships and prevent conflict from being resolved. It disintegrates others respect for you and it can do the same for your self respect. Anger will give you a false sense of self and make you feel right when you clearly are not. Practicing anger management is a stress reducer, lowers anxiety, and can really open up your life.

Anger can be helpful

Anger isn’t always bad, although aggressive anger always is. Assertive balanced anger can help charge arguments and facilitate communication, if used properly. However, anger is not commonly used properly and is often only used properly be certain people with the skill. Anyone can learn how to use anger constructively or to not use it at all.

Pivot your thoughts

An important skill to build is being able to pivot your thoughts. When an event happens that would normally bring you anger pivot that thought. Turn it from “that shouldn’t happen” to “that happened and how can I resolve or accept that?”. It is a simple idea with an extraordinary outcome. Being able to use this skill everyday for most everything will give you control of being upset and angry. There are of course some instances to get upset or angry but those are tend to be rare.

Take a deep breath

When you find yourself getting angry use the above method combined with a few deep breaths. It is a stress relief technique we talk a lot about here at stress reducer. That’s because we have found it to be one of the simplest and effective methods to calm down. Calming doing from anger or emotional stress will give you better judgment, which can then calm you down even more. In addition it is a powerful stress reducer.

Practice makes perfect

The more you practice these methods and other methods that you can find here or from other sources the easier they are to preform. Prevention is key as is being able to calm down in the moment. With success we gain confidence in our skill. When we fail we learn from our mistakes and if we continue to practice we will gain the anger management skills we desire!

Music has been around for as long as human kind has. It is the lifeblood of our artistic expression and a form of expression that is deeply connected to our mind, emotions, and even our body. The variety and the lyrics are endless. Finding the right music for you and expanding on your collection can really help with emotional stress. Having the right music for the right mood is always comforting. Emotional stress is a factor that is taken into consideration with music therapy.

Music therapy

Music therapy is an under appreciated college major and career. It is an effective tool for treating emotional stress and can aid in personal development. It works better for some than others but can have an impact on anyone in music therapy.

The benefits of music

It is also used in physical rehabilitation and has proven itself to aide in recovery time. It is used with the elderly to improve mood and cognitive function. Music therapy is considered an expressive therapy and can help build confidence in self expression. Music theory is often taught on some basic levels and there is a great variety in musical selection. It has also shown to be affective in lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rates in those with coronary heart disease. Another use that has been documented is help with patients who suffer from epilepsy.

Expand your music tastes

Although it is not that accessible we can still in one way or another to help ourselves reduce emotional stress. We can find music we enjoy and keep it handy. Alternative rock fans should check out Panda Bear, American Analog Set, Built to Spill, The Black Keys, and Modest Mouse. Electronica more your thing? Try Caribou, Massive Attack, Dan Decan, Shpongle, Clubroot, Four Tet, Burial, The Field, Boards of Canada, Emancipator, and Pantha Du Prince. More into folk? Try Langhorne Slim, Sixto Rodriguez, Iron & Wine, Beirut, Mumford & Sons, and of course Bob Dylan.

Just remember that emotional stress has many solutions. Looking for them, being open to change, and working towards goals of relieving emotional stress will bring you the peace you have been looking for.

Enjoy this relaxing video

We feel stress in our body, mind, and in our emotions. It affects us on every level whether we know it or not. A lot can happen to us due to stress and it is not always clear that stress is the cause. The emotional stress we feel can do real harm to us. It can cause irrational decisions, anxiety, and panic. Emotional stress can be very uncomfortable but with proper skills and a more productive mindset we can protect ourselves from much of the damage.

Emotional stress comes in many forms

There is much to be said about the effects of emotional stress and much that can be done. Stress in essence is a physical response to an external stimuli. It serves to protect us from a harmful environment. It is rooted deep in our brain and is in direct relation to the fight-or-flight response. This stress response however is now being redirected to our society. A once protective trigger has been transformed by our urban environment to a far more useless tool. It can be protective and it does help us but the majority of stress is not beneficial. The stress response explodes out of the brain and affects the whole body. The mind shuts down to it’s lower levels of functioning and our emotions run wild.

What can be done?

Much can be done to protect ourselves from emotional stress. The first step is to identify all of the things that cause you stress. Make a list and begin to think more in depth about what really stresses you out. Once you identify your stressors begin to think about how they can be avoided. Not all can and you will never escape them all and in fact that would be harmful to your growth. You will also need to find quality stress reducers and stress reduction techniques to further protect yourself from excessive stress. Check out these articles for more insight and feel free to browse around this site for more information. Stress Reduction Technique: Self Control and Acceptance: A Powerful Stress Reducer are a couple places to start and of course there are many sites out there looking to help you.

There is so much we can do to alleviate emotional stress. From taking a deep breathe to taking a pill there are many choices we can make to get our emotional stress at a healthy and balanced level. We must look for ways that benefit us the most and fit our personalities like a glove. Many methods can be explored and both preventative and in-the-moment techniques can be used to great effect. Much has been written to that end in this blog so feel free to explore. Let us look at one of the most effective techniques that will help us alleviate emotional stress.

Take a deep breath!

It is so very simple and so very effective. It is extraordinary what can be accomplished with deep breathing. Let’s walk through the process. You can breath into three parts of your lungs. Those three parts being upper chest, middle chest, and abdomen. This can be separated into two more parts each as we can actively choose to breath into the front or the back of the lungs. Right now take a deep breath and notice where it is you are breathing. Is it your upper chest? As babies we breathed into the entirety of our lungs. In the process of growing up we become more stressed. Many of us have changed the way we breathe. Ideally when we breathe in we should be breathing equally into the three parts of our lungs equally in the front and back.

Re-pattern away those bad habits

Breathing in this way is not only a great way to calm down but it is a great way to breath all the time. Maintaining this breath will help prevent stress from arising. It will also improve the oxygenation of the lungs which will in turn benefit every cell of our body. In almost every single case of a heart attack has come from an individual with a shallow upper-chest breathing pattern. Once we enter a new habit of breathing it becomes second nature to us. The benefits are obvious and we can feel and see a difference. Our emotional stress response will be lowered as will our emotional stress levels! Re-pattern your breathing and find a new sense of peace and a deeper level of health.

In what feels like the blink of an eye we lose control and do untold damage to others and ourselves. In the moment of extreme emotional stress it is hard to say what we will do and what we are thinking. The coals of frustration are red hot and our mind clouded by their fumes. The actions we would never do with a clear head are done and cannot be undone. The pain will reverberate for weeks to come and the consequences are inevitable. We need to take a look at why the emotional stress can be so blinding.

At those peak moments of emotional stress we don’t act like ourselves. Why? Well there are a few reasons. Adrenaline, cortisol, and a variety of other chemicals are launching into our brain. These trigger a strong response that dampens higher thinking, directly proportional to the amount of chemicals firing. It can be anywhere from lowered judgment to complete thoughtless action.

Chemicals play a very large role in our lives. Understanding them and understanding your control over releasing or not releasing them will be key to taking control of emotional stress, anger, and much more. For example our minds are capable of releasing dopamine on our conscious command. This chemical, among other things, sharpens the prefrontal cortex’s operations. This part of our brain is what separates us from animals, where the high thought process takes place. Learning to release this chemical when need be is a tool everyone should have. It just takes focus and creating a subconscious pattern that when done will release the chemical.

Emotions shouldn’t just be categorized as chemicals. They have a much deeper and personal nature that science can’t classify. With practice we will gain levels of control over emotional stress and emotions in general. It is not something we will dominate and always be on top of, it will be something we can mold and guide, lessen and increase depending on our goals.

Emotional stress cam be quite the beast to tame. It not only clouds our judgment but downplays the damaging effects it’s having on you. When not in the moment you don’t think of it as that big of a threat. When in the moment you don’t realize what is happening because you are so overwhelmed with the emotional stress. This makes it tricky to not only identify but to get under control. You think of emotional stress as something that is just there and that’s that. Well it’s not and it doesn’t have to be.

There is always going to be emotional stress; that is just life and we must embrace it. It is a bad thing, but that is mostly in excess. It can affect you in more ways than emotionally, it can cloud your judgment so greatly you destroy parts of your life that you cherish. We have all have had this happen and it is a painful and remorseful thing. Getting better control of our emotional stress will yield benefits with a domino effect. You may not have associated all of the effects it has on your life. In many cases it is hard to identify all the effects as many of them are subtle.

Once we gain a certain level of control over our emotional stress we will feel more confident in situations that are emotionally and mentally taxing. We will be more comfortable putting ourselves out there in those situations and feel stronger and in a higher level of command. Less destruction in our life will occur and we will be more happy in general.

In articles to come and articles in the archive, we discuss techniques to take control of our emotional stress. There is a lot that can be done and many baby steps we can take today. Let’s focus on a better tomorrow through a conscious today.